"What is your religion/caste?"
Well, this is a question that I have heard multiple times as I grew up, be it in my school or neighborhood. I am admitting that I too had indulged in this heinous crime of asking this question in my childhood.
As I grew up and learned about the world around me through books, newspapers and people , through the sacrifice of thousands in Babri Masjid demolition in Ayodhya, riots in Gujarat , the Marad massacre in my native and countless heart wrenching incidents across the world, I understood religion is fire : It burns people to death.
Somewhere along, I exited my caged world and entered into an open world.In my closed world, I used to go to the temple daily and thought about people in terms of religion/caste. In my new world, I learned that bathing in Ganges or pilgrimages to countless temples will not purify me from the sins I have committed. Its just a means to forcibly convince myself that I have been forgiven. The truth is, what I sow, I shall reap.
I will be more than happy to go to a temple / a church / any religious institution because I believe these are the only existing quiet places where one can meditate and be peaceful. I can sit and retrospect what I have done and what I could do. It will be my places for learning myself.
We are all the same, but why so many boundaries? Caste based reservation, filling in my religion/ caste in all the countless forms, well, all these disgust me. I don't care what your caste or creed is, I don't care where you are from or what color is your skin, I just care if you are a human being with a kind, empathetic heart and an open mind.
Humanity is my religion!!
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